January Meme: Dufresne in Black Sails
Jan. 22nd, 2018 06:37 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
selenakImpossible to start my argument without spoilers, so I shan't even try.
Once upon a time, there was a new crew member on a ship who at the start of the show didn’t seem to belong there. Everyone thought he was a whimp. Then he proved his bravery, managed to gain the crew’s respect and affection and even managed to depose the tyrannical Captain. Said Captain had at that point seemingly gone off the deep end, leading the crew into suicidal enterprises he kept lying about, lashing out against anyone trying to talk sense into him to the point of murdering his most loyal supporter and only friend, having probably murdered another crew member already. Until, at last, our young hero led the crew into a mutiny.
No, we’re not talking about pop culture Fletcher Christian versus pop culture William Bligh here, or the mutiny on the Bounty. We’re talking about Dufresne, possibly one of the most hated characters of Black Sails.
Mind you, the hate for Dufresne is mostly due to his s2 and s3 appearances; I don’t think there was much hostility in s1, and I do recall sympathy in the few reviews that existed at the time s1 was broadcast, but that was before the show had achieved a larger fandom. Otoh even then I also recall some „how dare he?“ about Dufresne's successful anti Flint mutiny in the s1 finale, though not in reviews, just in the comments to same. As for me, I liked s1 Dufresne a lot, and it impressed me that the show would, instead of letting the pirates follow Flint simply because he’s the main character despite of how alienating his behavior must have looked to them, and instead of letting the only characters opposing Flint be evil strawmen like what’s his name in the pilot who mainly exists so Flint can defeat him and show how truly scary he (Flint) is, instead of all of this let the leader of the opposition be a young sensible man, who, if this was a novel for young adolescents the way Treasure Island is, would actually be the hero of the tale. Think about it. Dufresne is the glasses wearing, easily dismissed nerdish accountant surrounded by macho pirates. He’s mentored by the two pirates who come in s1 closest to being actual good guys, Mr. Gates and Billy. He manages to overcome his fears and prove physical bravery in battle. He then, as young heroes are want to do, loses his mentor figures due (as far as he knows in both cases) to the same tyrannical figure of evil whom everyone else on board is afraid of murdering them. Sure enough, following the Campbellian model, our young, chronically underestimated (especially by the evil Captain) hero rallies and conducts a successful mutiny, deposing his mentors‘ murderer without sinking to said murderers level.
Unfortunately for Dufresne, he’s not in a YA novel. Or the tv equivalent thereof. And he just went up against the much beloved antihero of the saga, all the while being an OC, which means his fate is neither covered by Treasure Island canon (John Silver, as well as Billy Bones)) nor by history (Woode Rogers). Early s2 still treats Dufresne with sympathy while also using him to showcase Flint’s smarts and ruthlessness (and Silver’s ability to correctly guess Flint’s moves) in the way Flint manouevres himself from deposed Captain to restored Captain solely by playing on Dufresne’s opinion of him and on Dufresne's lack of experience when it comes to commanding the capture of a vessel. When Dufresne afterwards wonders out loud what kind of man would sacrifice the lives of his crew cold bloodedly to pull off such a gambit, we’re meant to admire Flint’s magnificent bastardy, but I think at this point were’e also still meant to feel compassion with Dufresne as well. For the last time, as it turns out. From mid s2 onwards, Dufresne is used solely as a boo-hiss figure.
The first time this happens, it’s when Billy, revealed to be alive (with the show leaving it open whether or not Flint meant to hold him or let him drown in the storm that was the last we saw of Billy in s1) subjects Dufresne to the kind of moral test I increasingly loathe as a ploy in fiction. Having had an extremely unpleasant encounter with his majesty’s forces between seasons, Billy has come to the conclusion that the pirates of Nassau need Flint in charge, much as he, Billy, dislikes him, and be united under him. To that end and to suss out potential traitors, he tells Dufresne he, Billy, has ten pardons by the crown, his to dispose of, for whoever is willing to accept them and let the rest of the pirates fall to whichever fate awaits once the British army invades. Dufresne, as well as some of the others, go for that option, are given a „the reason you suck“ shaming speech from Billy about how they are betraying the brotherhood of pirates and are banished from the Walrus.
This kind of thing is why I don’t feel sorry for Billy in s4 at all and appreciate the irony instead: Billy ending up being willing to sell out all his „brothers“ as long as he gets vengeance on Silver (for prefering Flint to him and trading in Billy when he was meant to trade in Flint) and Flint (for being Flint). But back to Dufresne. Leading someone into temptation and then declaring „you awful person, you, for falling to temptation!“ reminds me unpleasantly of certain guys in both fiction and reality who seduce a woman only to tell all and sunder what a slut she is. Given that Billy, like Mr. Gates, was Dufresne’s much admired mentor in s1, and in the moral test scene lays it on thick of how superior and unbeatable the forces of the British Army are, I only felt sorry for Dufresne. By then, the show was gaining some traction and a bit of a wider audience, and going by audience reaction, I was pretty much the only one. There was only satisfaction that Dufresne was exposed as a traitorous coward.
Next we see him, the Walrus-banished Dufresne joins up with Hornigold, who also has had it with other pirates, and suggests a way to earn those British pardons after all: by trading in Eleanor Guthrie. Now Hornigold, as opposed to Dufresne, is a historical character and was indeed a pirate turned pirate hunter, and it makes sense for the show to use him in that capacity. It also makes sense thath they would use at least one former member of the Walrus crew whom the audience already knows. But there is a difference in the way Hornigold gets written, and the way Dufresne gets written. Hornigold still gets to show bravery and smarts when being put up against Flint & Co. Meanwhile, the next and last time we see Dufresne, mid s3, he’s reduced to a cardboard character mocking John Silver for his crippled state. This is mainly so Silver gets his first true showcase of inner darkness and outer ruthlessness, demonstrating just how scary he has become by now. The Silver who deals with Dufresne by stomping his head to pulp – which isn’t just about Dufresne, it’s mainly a ploy to intimidate his audience, turn the situation (which until this point favours Rogers) around for Flint & Co. and live up to the legend of Long John Silver which Billy is about to start establishing in Nassau – is, for the first time, easily recognizable as the Silver in Treasure Island who beneath that charming veneer is entirely capable of murdering a boy in cold blood (the next oldest cabin boy to Jim who has scruples of going through with the mutiny) and who holds his own against a whole bunch of ruthless killers once they turn against him as well.
It’s an adrenaline pumping, big moment in the show, and entirely earned in terms of Silver’s character development. However, it also depends on Dufresne being someone whom the audience at this point not just dislikes, but does not even respect. The emotional reaction if Silver did this to, say, Featherstone, would be very different. (To say nothing of audience favourites like Charles Vane.) And even wile I admire the scene I can’t help being still somewhat resentful on Dufresne’s account, because letting him taunt Silver with ableist slurs is just such an obvious cheap way to bury whatever remaining sympathy the audience might have. (Dufresne, who himself, being short sighted and dependent on his glasses, was mocked for this in s1. Not to mention that it reminded me of how in Battlestar Galactica the writers never seemed to know quite what to do with the character Tory once her initial story use as Laura Roslin’s assistant was over, so they made her into a villain, and then they let Tyrol kill her in the finale while part of the audience and Tyrol’s actor at conventions rejoiced to the tune of „kill the bitch“. Not good memories.)
Where I’m going to with all of this, I guess, is this: Dufresne, such a delightfully well rounded supporting character in s1, deserved better. Not in terms of mere plot mechanics. Fine, let him fall out with the crew, join Hornigold, trade in Eleanor and end up being killed by Silver in his first true Long John Silver moment. But in terms of humanity. It wouldn’t have killed the writers to keep him three dimensional. Maybe by letting him ask Billy the uncomfortable question as to why Billy didn’t seem to care anymore what had become of Mr. Gates in s2. Maybe by letting him do something sympathetic just before Silver enters the tavern, like shyly proposing one of the whores and letting the woman in question be devastated once he’s reduced to pulp. Basically: letting him remain human.
That the show failed to do so is one of the very few creative decisions I never got reconciled to.
The Other Days
Once upon a time, there was a new crew member on a ship who at the start of the show didn’t seem to belong there. Everyone thought he was a whimp. Then he proved his bravery, managed to gain the crew’s respect and affection and even managed to depose the tyrannical Captain. Said Captain had at that point seemingly gone off the deep end, leading the crew into suicidal enterprises he kept lying about, lashing out against anyone trying to talk sense into him to the point of murdering his most loyal supporter and only friend, having probably murdered another crew member already. Until, at last, our young hero led the crew into a mutiny.
No, we’re not talking about pop culture Fletcher Christian versus pop culture William Bligh here, or the mutiny on the Bounty. We’re talking about Dufresne, possibly one of the most hated characters of Black Sails.
Mind you, the hate for Dufresne is mostly due to his s2 and s3 appearances; I don’t think there was much hostility in s1, and I do recall sympathy in the few reviews that existed at the time s1 was broadcast, but that was before the show had achieved a larger fandom. Otoh even then I also recall some „how dare he?“ about Dufresne's successful anti Flint mutiny in the s1 finale, though not in reviews, just in the comments to same. As for me, I liked s1 Dufresne a lot, and it impressed me that the show would, instead of letting the pirates follow Flint simply because he’s the main character despite of how alienating his behavior must have looked to them, and instead of letting the only characters opposing Flint be evil strawmen like what’s his name in the pilot who mainly exists so Flint can defeat him and show how truly scary he (Flint) is, instead of all of this let the leader of the opposition be a young sensible man, who, if this was a novel for young adolescents the way Treasure Island is, would actually be the hero of the tale. Think about it. Dufresne is the glasses wearing, easily dismissed nerdish accountant surrounded by macho pirates. He’s mentored by the two pirates who come in s1 closest to being actual good guys, Mr. Gates and Billy. He manages to overcome his fears and prove physical bravery in battle. He then, as young heroes are want to do, loses his mentor figures due (as far as he knows in both cases) to the same tyrannical figure of evil whom everyone else on board is afraid of murdering them. Sure enough, following the Campbellian model, our young, chronically underestimated (especially by the evil Captain) hero rallies and conducts a successful mutiny, deposing his mentors‘ murderer without sinking to said murderers level.
Unfortunately for Dufresne, he’s not in a YA novel. Or the tv equivalent thereof. And he just went up against the much beloved antihero of the saga, all the while being an OC, which means his fate is neither covered by Treasure Island canon (John Silver, as well as Billy Bones)) nor by history (Woode Rogers). Early s2 still treats Dufresne with sympathy while also using him to showcase Flint’s smarts and ruthlessness (and Silver’s ability to correctly guess Flint’s moves) in the way Flint manouevres himself from deposed Captain to restored Captain solely by playing on Dufresne’s opinion of him and on Dufresne's lack of experience when it comes to commanding the capture of a vessel. When Dufresne afterwards wonders out loud what kind of man would sacrifice the lives of his crew cold bloodedly to pull off such a gambit, we’re meant to admire Flint’s magnificent bastardy, but I think at this point were’e also still meant to feel compassion with Dufresne as well. For the last time, as it turns out. From mid s2 onwards, Dufresne is used solely as a boo-hiss figure.
The first time this happens, it’s when Billy, revealed to be alive (with the show leaving it open whether or not Flint meant to hold him or let him drown in the storm that was the last we saw of Billy in s1) subjects Dufresne to the kind of moral test I increasingly loathe as a ploy in fiction. Having had an extremely unpleasant encounter with his majesty’s forces between seasons, Billy has come to the conclusion that the pirates of Nassau need Flint in charge, much as he, Billy, dislikes him, and be united under him. To that end and to suss out potential traitors, he tells Dufresne he, Billy, has ten pardons by the crown, his to dispose of, for whoever is willing to accept them and let the rest of the pirates fall to whichever fate awaits once the British army invades. Dufresne, as well as some of the others, go for that option, are given a „the reason you suck“ shaming speech from Billy about how they are betraying the brotherhood of pirates and are banished from the Walrus.
This kind of thing is why I don’t feel sorry for Billy in s4 at all and appreciate the irony instead: Billy ending up being willing to sell out all his „brothers“ as long as he gets vengeance on Silver (for prefering Flint to him and trading in Billy when he was meant to trade in Flint) and Flint (for being Flint). But back to Dufresne. Leading someone into temptation and then declaring „you awful person, you, for falling to temptation!“ reminds me unpleasantly of certain guys in both fiction and reality who seduce a woman only to tell all and sunder what a slut she is. Given that Billy, like Mr. Gates, was Dufresne’s much admired mentor in s1, and in the moral test scene lays it on thick of how superior and unbeatable the forces of the British Army are, I only felt sorry for Dufresne. By then, the show was gaining some traction and a bit of a wider audience, and going by audience reaction, I was pretty much the only one. There was only satisfaction that Dufresne was exposed as a traitorous coward.
Next we see him, the Walrus-banished Dufresne joins up with Hornigold, who also has had it with other pirates, and suggests a way to earn those British pardons after all: by trading in Eleanor Guthrie. Now Hornigold, as opposed to Dufresne, is a historical character and was indeed a pirate turned pirate hunter, and it makes sense for the show to use him in that capacity. It also makes sense thath they would use at least one former member of the Walrus crew whom the audience already knows. But there is a difference in the way Hornigold gets written, and the way Dufresne gets written. Hornigold still gets to show bravery and smarts when being put up against Flint & Co. Meanwhile, the next and last time we see Dufresne, mid s3, he’s reduced to a cardboard character mocking John Silver for his crippled state. This is mainly so Silver gets his first true showcase of inner darkness and outer ruthlessness, demonstrating just how scary he has become by now. The Silver who deals with Dufresne by stomping his head to pulp – which isn’t just about Dufresne, it’s mainly a ploy to intimidate his audience, turn the situation (which until this point favours Rogers) around for Flint & Co. and live up to the legend of Long John Silver which Billy is about to start establishing in Nassau – is, for the first time, easily recognizable as the Silver in Treasure Island who beneath that charming veneer is entirely capable of murdering a boy in cold blood (the next oldest cabin boy to Jim who has scruples of going through with the mutiny) and who holds his own against a whole bunch of ruthless killers once they turn against him as well.
It’s an adrenaline pumping, big moment in the show, and entirely earned in terms of Silver’s character development. However, it also depends on Dufresne being someone whom the audience at this point not just dislikes, but does not even respect. The emotional reaction if Silver did this to, say, Featherstone, would be very different. (To say nothing of audience favourites like Charles Vane.) And even wile I admire the scene I can’t help being still somewhat resentful on Dufresne’s account, because letting him taunt Silver with ableist slurs is just such an obvious cheap way to bury whatever remaining sympathy the audience might have. (Dufresne, who himself, being short sighted and dependent on his glasses, was mocked for this in s1. Not to mention that it reminded me of how in Battlestar Galactica the writers never seemed to know quite what to do with the character Tory once her initial story use as Laura Roslin’s assistant was over, so they made her into a villain, and then they let Tyrol kill her in the finale while part of the audience and Tyrol’s actor at conventions rejoiced to the tune of „kill the bitch“. Not good memories.)
Where I’m going to with all of this, I guess, is this: Dufresne, such a delightfully well rounded supporting character in s1, deserved better. Not in terms of mere plot mechanics. Fine, let him fall out with the crew, join Hornigold, trade in Eleanor and end up being killed by Silver in his first true Long John Silver moment. But in terms of humanity. It wouldn’t have killed the writers to keep him three dimensional. Maybe by letting him ask Billy the uncomfortable question as to why Billy didn’t seem to care anymore what had become of Mr. Gates in s2. Maybe by letting him do something sympathetic just before Silver enters the tavern, like shyly proposing one of the whores and letting the woman in question be devastated once he’s reduced to pulp. Basically: letting him remain human.
That the show failed to do so is one of the very few creative decisions I never got reconciled to.
The Other Days
no subject
Date: 2018-01-22 06:55 pm (UTC)I am reminded of this article about a disproportionately horrific death in Jurassic World (2015)—it points out that the death only works as written if the character has been built up as someone the audience wants to see suffer, but she's not, except in the sketchiest, shorthandiest, default female-negative ways (she doesn't perfectly take care of children! she must deserve to die!), so it just feels unearned and cruel and upsetting.
no subject
Date: 2018-01-23 08:13 am (UTC)It's not exactly the same, but my emotional reaction certainly feels similar. Though as mentioned in the post I suspect I'm in a minority of one or two here, because most people I've read referring to Dufresne's death wrote variations of "fuck yeah!"
no subject
Date: 2018-01-22 08:28 pm (UTC)(Not that they had any choice in the matter, obviously, since it was necessitated by Jannes Eiselen's cancer treatment.)
Roland Reed looks facially very similar, but immediately strikes me as much more hard-edged and aggressive (versus the very soft and nerdy Eiselen version of the role).
It would have been fascinating to see Eiselen play out the whole of the arc, because I feel like even with exactly the same script Eiselen!Dufresne might have stayed sympathetic a lot longer.
no subject
Date: 2018-01-23 08:08 am (UTC)In any case, fandom overwhelmingly deciding to hate Dufresne after s2 was certainly why the only time he shows up in s3 is to be killed by Silver, and that he's given the ableist slurs before that happens and stripped of anything that might invite something other than loathing. But if you think about it - what does Dufresne do in the show that beloved characters don't do as well? Go up against Flint and temporarily take the ship from him? Vane and Silver both do it at different points, and when Dufresne does it, he truly has a case of doing it motivated by everyone's best interests, as opposed to the other two. Being willing to save himself while crewmates face death or captivity? Flint and Silver are both guilty of callously sacrificing the lives of crew members in order to do that at different points. Not to mention Flint's murder of Gates. (Which, btw, turns out to have been absolutely pointless when it comes to why he did it.) Trading in Eleanor for a pardon? Eleanor was willing to order a Godfather-style massacre to achieve her goal at the same point, and Dufresne did not owe her anything. And as mentioned in my last Black Sails post, Jack's "I don't care whether we'll get a Pirate Republic or a Spanish Invasion leaving everyone dead as long as Rogers doesn't win" beats "okay, Billy, taking the pardons and getting the hell out of here" by a mile and then some when it comes to selfishness vs regard for others.
no subject
Date: 2020-10-27 07:00 pm (UTC)